BORROWING BEYOND BOOKS AT THE LOCAL LIBRARIES

While they might be mostly known for books, both the Kitchener Public Library (KPL) and Waterloo Public Library (WPL) carry far more. Not only have they greatly increased their digital offerings with e-books and audio books via various services, they also offer many things to take home.   

MOVIES & TV 

Perhaps the second most visible collection in any library is their offering of movies and TV shows. The vast majority are on DVD and Blu-ray. Both libraries’ collections include DVDs in over 25 languages with their most populous being French, Mandarin and Spanish.   

By consistently adding new titles every year, the library has built a vast resource of some of the most popular and underappreciated independent films of the century. Library visitors can check out hot titles from 2025 such as Sinners and One Battle After Another and independently released films from the same year like Eephus and The Shrouds from Toronto’s own David Cronenberg. In addition to newer films, the library also receives remastered editions of classics from boutique labels such as the Criterion Collection. This includes a new edition of 1973 revisionist western Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid as well as a combo pack of Shaft and Shaft’s Big Score!  

Library cards also give access to both Kanopy and Hoopla, streaming services where members can digitally check out hundreds of movies and TV series to watch at home.   

VIDEO GAMES 

Over the last couple of years, video game prices skyrocketed. A new video game can cost as much as $100. Luckily, the KPL boasts a healthy collection of video games for all modern video game consoles.   

Library card holders with access to PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo systems will have the opportunity to experience classics from the past 15 years as well as the newest big studio releases. The library’s catalogue stretches as far back as Dark Souls II on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 while even featuring pre-holds for upcoming games such as Pragmata and LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, both set to be released this year.   

The only limiting factor on this fun can be the three-week loan period. If someone else has a hold on the title you’ve checked out, you may have to rush through some very long games.   

For a shorter, easier experience, check out Stray on PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch. For a longer, more complicated experience with a compelling narrative, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a journey worth the walk to the library.   

STUDIO SPACE 

The KPL’s Central branch and WPL’s Eastside branch both boast fully equipped studio spaces that can be booked by library cardholders. The resources are invaluable for any creatives looking to record music or other audio projects who don’t want to pay for costly studio space elsewhere.   

The Heffner Studio at the KPL Central branch features four different recording studios with various capacities ranging from solo rooms to larger spaces that can accommodate up to five musicians along with up-to-date recording hardware and software. Additionally, the Heffner Studio contains several Mac workstations that can be booked for folks to work on various multimedia productions.   

The Digispace at the WPL Eastside branch features a sound-proof recording booth and a production control room that allows groups to record in either space. Both recording studios are also stocked with various instruments that can be used by customers as part of their recording process.   

OTHER FUN ITEMS 

Along with their large collection of media, the library houses a host of other items which can be checked out to have some fun or learn at home or elsewhere.   

Both the KPL and WPL have Nintendo Switch kits that can be borrowed along with games for the system. Many computer stations are available for use at library locations, you can also check out a Chromebook for a week at a time.   

For those looking to learn something new, both libraries have passes for Region of Waterloo museums as well as THEMUSEUM. Additionally, they also have Grand River Parks and Ontario Parks day passes. Finally, there is a plethora of sports equipment, toys and games to enjoy.   

The list of everything the library offers is far too exhaustive to outline in any article. Needless to say, if you are looking for something, check the library first.  

TRAVERSING CULTURAL LANDSCAPES THROUGH THE LIBRARIES

If you’re looking for an affordable way to explore in Waterloo Region this winter, look no farther than your local library. With diverse community programs at a variety of branch locations, there are plenty of opportunities to learn and meet new people. Each of the listed events below are free to attend, open to anyone and require advance registration.  

The Region of Waterloo Library serves the residents of Wellesley, Woolwich, North Dumfries, and Wilmot with 12 branches. Below are five cultural events to add to your calendar.  

Celebrate Black History Month with three short films centering Black stories and history from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), followed by a community discussion on Wednesday, Feb. 25 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Register for the Ayr Branch event online. Afterwards, learn about Waterloo Region’s connection to the Underground Railroad by reading about Buxton, Ontario.  

Did you know that chess, formerly known as chaturanga, originated in India during the Gupta Empire in 600 CE? The strategic game’s playing pieces resembled components of the military and the game traversed the world through trading routes. Join a game every Tuesday and Saturday at the New Hamburg Branch and every Wednesday at the Baden Branch from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.  

Hygge—pronounced “hoo-gah”—is perhaps one of Denmark’s most identifiable cultural exports. It is the notion of coziness and encompasses everything from the glow of a candle to spending time with good people. Head to the Breslau Branch on Tuesday, Feb. 10 for a night of Winter Hygge from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for ages 9 and up. Enjoy hot beverages, crafts and puzzles and good company.  

Embracing winter weather is a feat for some and a joy for others. Cambridge resident and globally published freelance journalist Paul Gains will share his love of the Arctic’s snowy owls during a presentation at the Ayr Branch on Wednesday, Feb. 18 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.   

Escape the cold and slip into a sunny state of mind without hopping on a plane. Chef Arielle is teaching a Roti and Trini Curry Masterclass at the Wilmot Recreation Complex on Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for ages nine and up.   

The Cambridge Public Library (CPL), Waterloo Public Library (WPL) and Kitchener Public Library (KPL) offer a wide range of tools to rent out, some of which will help support your Waterloo Region (and beyond!) explorations. Visit their websites or branches in-person to borrow skates, snowshoes, trekking poles, wildlife kits, museum passes, or Grand River and Ontario Parks passes.  

Learning a language is a phenomenal way to travel deeper. Start at home with free language classes, French reading buddies, or language circles in French, Chinese, Spanish and English at CPL, WPL and KPL branches.   

Finally, if you’re looking for an activity that’s engaging for the whole family, the WPL is hosting The Great Family Geocache Challenge. Geocaching is an adventurous hobby where participants search for hidden objects based on other participants’ clues. It’s an excellent way to get outside, exercise your brain, and enjoy a new and free activity at home or elsewhere around the world.  

Happy exploring!  

Kitchener Public Library Undergoes Structural Changes, Union Raises Concerns

Kitchener Public Library (KPL) is undergoing changes to align with a new strategic plan leading to the union representing workers at KPL to voice concerns.   

Joseph Brannan, vice-president of CUPE Local 331, said the union was notified of changes in the summer that included possible layoffs, job title changes and potential cuts to programming.  

In a statement, KPL said that no staff will be laid off. Two full-time and three-part time staff received notices that their jobs would be eliminated as of Jan. 5, 2026; however, all five of these individuals have already accepted new positions at the library.   

“We’re changing how we work to make sure we can continue to deliver exceptional service and experiences at all library locations today and in the future as Kitchener continues to grow rapidly,” KPL said in a statement.  

“New positions reflect strategic changes that will serve the community in a sustainable way and allow us to remain responsive over time,” the statement continued.  

While each of the five roles that were eliminated and reassigned, Brannan claimed that individuals were forced to move to new locations and even accept roles in different departments outside of their previous scope.   

“In many cases, people were not given a choice and are moving away from the library location that’s closest to their home,” Brannan said.  

“That’s really devastating to people, to be taken from that local library community that they know…it really shakes up the team aspects that they have and it really shakes confidence in the ability to trust in decisions that focus on people and community,” Brannan said.  

With regards to programming, Brannan said KPL has amalgamated the programming team to 16 from 36 in the previous year, also shifting their roles from purely programming to public facing at service desks as well.   

“I think library staff see that there’s a strength to being in a customer facing role as well as in the programming role, because it means the program staff are more in touch with what the public is interested in and what they hear, hearing from the public by interacting with them,” Brannan said.   

“The new model eliminates a lot of people from being able to develop programs…it takes specialized knowledge and life skills out of that team. Yes, it’s dedicated full time staff doing that work, but you don’t have any more.” 

While the union raised concerns over cuts to programming that would impact the public, KPL said in a statement that all library services will continue without interruption.   

“We are not cutting library services. Some library programs will start a couple of weeks later than normal in January to accommodate staff training and development, but most library services will continue without interruption,” KPL said in a statement.  

Since the strategic plan has publicized, Brannan said KPL has responded to some of the union’s concerns, including changes to job titles.  

“The library was going to eliminate the job title of librarian, and for a number of other employees, was going to remove library from the job title,” Brannan said.   

“That was a step that was astounding to staff and really kind of self hurtful,” he said.  

After consultation with staff, Brannan said KPL decided to forgo this change to titles.  

From a strategic mindset, Brannan said that while some changes to KPL were necessary, the implementation of the changes has been the main concern.   

“We completely agree that there are a lot of areas that needed focus…it’s more that the way that the changes are being done that staff have found really disrespectful and jarring,” Brannan said. 

“It’s been really a huge hit to morale,” he said.   

Moving forward, Brannan expressed concern but said he is hopeful the library will continue to deliver on its mandate to the public.  

“All of us are still really passionate about the library, about the public and the work that we do in providing information, providing people access to library programs and books and literacy,” he said.  

Clarification: Kerri Hutchinson, manager of marketing and communications at the KPL, clarified that, throughout the changes KPL followed the Collective Agreement and worked closely with the union executive. While employees typically need to re-apply for their positions in the event of a location change as outlined under the Collective Agreement, to reduce disruption for staff the KPL and CUPE Local 331 signed a one-time Letter of Understanding to forego the need of reapplication in this process.

WANDERING WATERLOO REGION THROUGH BOOKS

After a busy and potentially expensive holiday season, the last activity one tends to think about is travel.  

What if you broke that mould?  

But what if, from the comfort, ease, and coziness of your couch, you navigated local streets both familiar and unknown? Stick with me, for I am not suggesting the familiar armchair travel of 2020.  

I certainly won’t suggest more screen time. 

What if you made yourself a cuppa something delicious and warm, found a blanket, and cracked the spine of something new? 

 Waterloo Region’s unique demographics easily lend themselves to phenomenal and fantastical stories. The books below can be found at local bookstores such as Words Worth Books or Old Goat Books in Uptown Waterloo, and A Second Look Books in Downtown Kitchener. Alternatively, check out any branch of the Kitchener Public Library or Waterloo Public Library for these and other books about Waterloo Region or by the region’s own talented authors. 

The Waterloo You Never Knew: Life on the Margins by Joanna Rickert-Hall

Joanna Rickert-Hall is a local author, social historian and recipient of the Jean Steckle Award for Excellence in heritage education. 

She writes about the scandals and overlooked yet fascinating tales and the tragedies of Waterloo Region. A delightful assortment of them appear in this book. 

Covering nineteenth and twentieth-century stories of both a sensational and sordid sort, this book shares local history that few locals have on their radar. 

Think body snatchers, cholera, rum running, and sorcery–to begin. Resident readers will be inspired, shocked, and gain new appreciation for the past and present of Waterloo Region. 

Flash from the Past : 140 photographs from the Waterloo Region Record by Chris Masterman and Jon Fear 

For the visually inclined, this collection of photographs from nineteenth and twentieth-century Waterloo Region will transport you through the decades of our collective stories. 

Chris Masterman, a former Waterloo Region Record librarian invited residents to share their memories associated with the archival photos she dug up from the archives. 

Jon Fear is a columnist for the Waterloo Region Record and kept the memory-gathering tradition alive. 

Kissing Bridge: The story of Ontario’s only covered bridge, and West Montrose, the quiet, charming village whose sides it connects by Del Gingrich 

Much as its name suggests, Kissing Bridge is whimsical, magical, and a little mischievous. Woolwich Township, known for its talented Mennonite farming community and calm green landscape, is not the setting you might associate with such a title. 

Yet it is, in fact, where this real-life story continues to take place today. Ontario’s last wooden covered bridge in use, it has a striking red façade, is the location of many an odd and delightful fact. 

Many such pieces of information are shared in the book, some of which include tales of the West Montrose Swifts and the Conestoga Wanderers (local hockey teams from 1915), the real alibi that allowed so many couples to conveniently take their time crossing the bridge, the peeping eyes that spied from the rafters. 

The Back Door by Coral Andrews 

Local author and broadcaster Coral Andrews dishes on Kitchener’s former underground music scene at The Back Door. Musicians, concertgoers and neighbours alike involved in Waterloo Region’s music scene, and perhaps more so those of a certain vintage, will appreciate the deep dive into Kitchener’s legendary punk history.

Should you prefer fiction, Waterloo Region’s creative writers have plenty to offer. From poetry to crime, consider the following titles for your January book list.  

Black Cherokee by Antonio Michael Downing is a coming-of-age story of a mixed-race Black girl growing up in a South Carolina Cherokee community that won’t recognize her identity.  

Nobody Cares: Essays is written by Anne T. Donahue. With humour, she explores friendship, failure, work and what life looks like as a twenty- or thirty-something in modern day. Award-winning local poet Chris Banks has several books.  

Midlife Action Figure: Poems has been described as a “rare book that is as exciting as it is provocative, showcasing both pathos and humor” by the ECW Press.  

Francie’s Got a Gun by Carrie Snyder is a Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year and one of the CBC’s Best Canadian Fiction Books of 2022. The survival of a young girl in a small town will keep you on the edge of your seat.  

Former Waterloo Regional councillor, Jane Mitchell, has pivoted from serving her community to crafting murder mysteries with her new novel, Bad Council.  In it, a local councillor is killed when he tries to release information that will change his community forever.  

Set your schedule as “busy”—you’ve got a lot of reading to enjoy this month!

#kitchenerPublicLibrary held it's 5th #PlantMusic session today (a first for me, although my long ago science fair project was measuring the electricity produced by fruits: )

We used this device:
https://makeymakey.com/
to make the #music

KITCHENER DEEMED BIRD-FRIENDLY CITY

In November 2024, Kitchener was certified as a bird-friendly city by Nature Canada.  

A bird-friendly city is one that removes key threats to bird populations, restores nature to create habitat, engages in bird admiration and monitoring, organizes events to support birds, and has progressive municipal policies that help urban bird populations.  

As bird populations have dropped significantly over the past few decades, it is more important than ever to take concrete steps to help bird populations thrive.  

“Really, a bird friendly city is a community where key threats to birds are effectively mitigated, and our primary concern,” Jennifer Clary-Lemon, a co-chair of Bird-Friendly Kitchener, said.  

“So, mitigating those threats can take a variety of forms, everywhere from restoring natural areas to, not using pesticides and rodenticides in your own backyard and a variety of other measures,” she said. 

It is estimated that 2.7 million birds are killed each year due to agricultural chemicals. Another major threat to bird populations is outdoor cats that kill an estimated 2.4 billion birds every year, which is why another recommendation of Nature Canada is to keep cats inside.  

“[We also do] things like public outreach about fatal collisions by window collisions and trying to communicate to folks what they can do if they just have that window in their house that keeps getting bird collisions and keeps killing birds. Billions of birds killed from window collisions, believe it or not,” Clary-Lemon said. 

To become a bird-friendly city, a municipality is judged on how it meets certain criteria and is awarded points that contribute to its ranking. Currently, Kitchener is at the entry level.  

“They have a low, medium and high entry level, all the way up to kind of advanced gold star level, so that every two years you would recertify, so we’re gearing up to recertify ourselves as bird-friendly next year,” Clary-Lemon said. 

As May was Migratory Bird Month, Bird-Friendly Kitchener held several events to celebrate the city’s certification. For example, they have held talks on topics such as creating bird-safe windows and the effects of light pollution on birds. In addition, they have had screenings at the Kitchener Public Library of the documentary Lights Out Texas and an exhibition at Clay and Glass gallery.  

#2024 #birdFriendly #BirdFriendlyKitchener #Birds #JenniferClaryLemon #kitchener #KitchenerPublicLibrary #KPL #lightsOutTexas #migratoryBirdMonth #natureCanada #november #RachaelMacIntosh

@disquiet

Disquiet.com/0697

Sukh from the #KitchenerPublicLibrary held a class this weekend on how to make Lazer and R2D2 sounds, so when i got home i tried layering R2 over the #Artiphon #Orba

Perhaps there is not much "room" for other sounds but i don't mind a shift to the left and any accompaniment.

Regards,

p h i l

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Check this out!

ACORN Town Hall at 2:30pm on Saturday 25 January 2025 at Kitchener Public Library

What: ACORN Region-Wide Town Hall meeting
When: 2:30pm on Saturday 25 January 2025
Where: Kitchener Public Library Main Branch, Room E
Location: 85 Queen Street North, Kitchener Map
Contact: Vonica Flear +1‑226‑545‑4359
E-mail: [email protected]
Online: https://acorncanada.org/locations/waterloo-acorn/

ACORN is Holding a Region-Wide Town Hall to Identify Community Issues and Launch New Survey for Low-Income Residents

(Kitchener, ON) – ACORN is organizing a Town Hall on Saturday, 25 January 1025 at 2:30pm at the Kitchener Public Library for all residents of Waterloo Region to meet and discuss issues they’re struggling with, how the community can organize against these issues, and what they think ACORN should prioritize in 2025.

At the town hall, ACORN leaders will review ACORN’s campaign work on the local, provincial, and national level, and how ACORN members organize on various community issues like bad faith evictions, skyrocketing grocery prices, low social assistance rates, and more. We will also be joined by guest speakers including a Hamilton ACORN Organizer who will be sharing how ACORN members fought for and WON a strong anti-renoviction bylaw in Hamilton, and the importance of perseverance when fighting for change. To close the meeting, ACORN members will be launching our new tenant survey to shed light on the sheer scale of struggles low-income residents face across the Region.

We welcome all tenants and other low-income residents across Waterloo Region to join us and share their experiences during our break out discussion sections, following which ACORN leaders will hold an exercise to illustrate how to organize for change.

To speak with an ACORN leader about this event or discuss ACORN’s campaigns, please contact ACORN staff Organizer Vonica Flear at [email protected] or +1‑226‑545‑4359.

#ACORN #ACORNCanada #ACORNTenantUnionWaterlooRegion #KitchenerPublicLibrary #KPL #WaterlooRegion

Stoked for the Migrations: ALECC 2024 Conference next week! If you're in #WaterlooRegion, come check it out!

PS: the reception snacks on the first night actually start with registration at 6:15; the library closes at 9pm so we don't have much time to hang around and eat.

@WaterlooEvents @waterlooregion @academicchatter #Ecocriticism #FreeEvents #Kitchener #KitchenerPublicLibrary #WilfridLaurierUniversity #Conference #ALECC